New on the scene, I Loschi are what you may call a musicians’ band and are having no trouble setting themselves apart as a band to be reckoned with. Their five-piece set-up includes acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums, and a singer that moonlights as a keyboardist in some songs and a banjo or ukulele player in others. The current line up includes Rocco Greppi on vocals, keys, banjo and ukulele, Jacopo Finazzo on lead electric guitar, Marco dell’Olmo on acoustic rhythm guitar, Antonio Degl’Innocenti on bass and Niccolò Liechti on drums. The five original tracks on their brand new, self-titled EP are written by the singer Rocco and lead guitarist Jacopo, but each component is integral to the arrangements of the songs. And the result is an at times circus-y, dreamy, and incredibly bluesy sound that’s totally their own. They quote everything from blues and blue grass, like in “Birthday”, to modern Brit pop, like in “Wandering ‘Round”, which sounds like a mash-up of bands like Primal Scream and Blur. But the one thing in common on all their songs is a sense of raw fearlessness. They really tune in and drop out on the new EP, in the best possible sense, making for a totally engaging listen that sucks you in. The EP was recorded at Ballerini Studio and mixed and mastered at Terminal2 in Rome. I Loschi are making themselves known all over the area and have already graced the stages at The Blitz in Pisa, Flog in Florence and Sonar in Siena. They’ve got a super high-energy stage performance and like to get their crowd involved. You are not going to want to miss their show at Viper in April for the semifinals of Emergenza Festival Italia. While you’re waiting for them to go on, check out their new album at the band’s Soundcloud page. You’ll be glad you did.

MC